Table of Contents

To believe or not to believe ... language/sex research: the deficient woman; a man's language; the legacy; sexism in language; the semantic derogation of women; plus and minus male; the male line; language change and social change; sex differences in language; the lesser value of women's words; politeness and servility; pitch - fact or fiction; who does the talking?; the verdict. Constructing women's silence: the inaudibility of women; the invisibility of women. The dominant and the muted: male registers; telling it slant; in a form acceptable to men; the contradictions of a women speaker; dominance and tunnel vision; pluralism. Woman talk - the legitimate fear: a place for talk; consciousness-raising as subversion; undermining male control; woman-to-woman talk; politics and woman talk; are males the right models?; single-sex talks - why women prefer to talk to women; consciousness-raising - a woman-centred meaning; when all leaders ...Language and reality - who made the world?: the circumstantial evidence; he/man language; think male for man!; there's many a slip ...; the outsiders; male subjectivity. The politics of naming: man creates a male god; sexuality - a case of compensation; experience without a name. Women and writing: the public/private dichotomy; the double standard; the fading of the printed word; contradiction and resolution - eliminating the male/public; working conditions; breaking the boundaries; the problem is power, not women.